


Sharing Germs

by UnsealingKale



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, Sickfic, college rhink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 09:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20486618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnsealingKale/pseuds/UnsealingKale
Summary: Link has a cold and Rhett wants to take care of him.





	Sharing Germs

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been in a huge writing slump for ages, but I finally managed to make myself finish something. I hope you like it!

It was only the first week of college, and already something had gone wrong. Link was sick with a bad cold. Runny nose, sore throat, headache, crippling exhaustion. He had it all and more. He could barely keep his eyes open during his classes, but it would be a crime to miss already. What if his professors assumed he had withdrawn, and he had to wait another semester to start working on his degree? His mind ran wild with that scenario as he tuned out the droning voice of his English teacher, Dr. Murray. Her voice was interrupted every other second by a dull pounding in his head, and he wanted nothing more to close his eyes and rest. It was his last class of the day, and that fact was the only thing that kept his heavy eyes open.

He felt even worse by the time he made it back to his dorm room, where his best friend and roommate waited for him. “Hey man. I got us some Big Macs for dinner,” Rhett greeted him. He held up a bag of McDonald’s. “You hungry?”

“I’m too sick to eat,” Link answered in a raspy voice, pressing a hand to his stomach. Post nasal drip always killed his appetite and left him feeling nauseous. Besides, he was too stuffy to taste anything anyway. He walked to his desk and sat down, cradling his aching head in his hands.

“You really do look sick, bo,” Rhett said. He stood and made his way over to Link, pressing a cool hand to his forehead before letting it rest on his shoulder. “You’re warm. Do you want me to go out and get you something for that cold?”

Link sank into the touch, the knot in his stomach loosening at the simple comforting gesture. “Nah, that’s okay. Go ahead and eat your dinner while it’s hot.”

“We’ve got a microwave. I can wait.” Rhett squeezed Link’s shoulder. “I’ll run to the corner market real quick. Why don’t you hop in bed and get some rest while I’m gone?”

“You really don’t have to do that,” Link insisted. “I’ll be okay.”

“I know I don’t have to. I want to. You’re my best friend, and we’re away from home. It’s just you and me here. If I don’t take care of you, who will?” There was another gentle squeeze to Link’s shoulder, and then Rhett grabbed his keys and headed out the door, leaving Link alone in the room.

——-

Link bit his bottom lip as Rhett showed him everything he’d managed to find at the store. There was generic cold medicine for both night and day, a big bag of Link’s favorite berry flavored cough drops, a thermometer, a box of tissues, a small jug of orange juice, and several styrofoam cups of chicken flavored ramen noodles. 

“Chicken noodle soup is supposed to be good for colds, right?” Rhett asked, looking at Link for confirmation. “That’s what my mom always says, anyway. I figured this was close enough.”

“Thanks, Rhett. And thanks for going out and getting all of this stuff for me.” Link smiled despite himself. He knew Rhett looked out for him, but times like this really reminded him how much his friend cared about him.

“No problem. Here you go, take your temperature while I go make you some soup.” Rhett took the thermometer out of its box and passed it to Link, before grabbing one of the cups of ramen. He turned to heat water in their little kettle, ignoring Link’s protest that he wasn’t hungry.

When the thermometer beeped, it revealed that Link had a slight fever. It wasn’t high enough to worry about, but it was enough to count all the same. Link sat the thermometer down on his desk and watched as Rhett poured hot water into the cup of noodles.

“So, what’s the news? You hot?” Rhett asked as he tossed his own food into the microwave.

Link chose to ignore Rhett’s silly little joke about him being hot, but he couldn’t ignore the jolt that passed through his whole body when Rhett turned and winked at him. “A hundred point two,” Link answered, careful to keep his voice even. “I should probably go ahead and take the medicine you got me, right?” He started to get up, but a firm look from Rhett stopped him. “What?” Link asked, as he sat back down.

“You should eat first. The medicine I got is supposed to make you drowsy, and we all know you don’t need any help falling asleep. If you take it now, you’ll be out light a light before the soup’s done.”

Link snorted in amusement and then quickly covered his nose as snot came gushing out. He stood and hurried out into the hallway, ignoring Rhett’s protests. He made his way to the bathroom at the end of the hall, where he blew his nose and washed his face, and then he took the time to relieve his bladder while he was there. He considered the row of shower stalls, but his achy skin was too sensitive to shower right now. Maybe tomorrow. Besides, Rhett was cooking for him.

He accepted the warm cup of noodles Rhett handed him when he came back into their dorm room. “Eat up, buddyroll.”

Link found the salty ramen easier to get down than he expected, and soon he was pleasantly full. “Thank you, Rhett,” he said, smiling at his friend. “I really appreciate you doing all of this for me.”

“No problem. You’re sick, so I’ve got to take care of you,” Rhett said with a shrug, returning the smile.

His gaze seemed to linger on Link, his eyes dark and intense. Butterflies danced in Link’s stomach as he stared back at Rhett with wide eyes. “What? Why’re you looking at me like that?”

“I dunno…” Rhett looked down and away. “Your cheeks are pink. I know it’s because of your fever, but it’s kind of cute. Makes your eyes stand out more than normal.”

Link ducked his head, trying to hide his burning face. Rhett said stuff like that to him sometimes, and he never knew how to respond. He was sure it was just another teasing joke. It always was, but he never stopped hoping that maybe one day Rhett would actually mean it when he flirted or said that Link looked good.

Suddenly, a big warm hand cupped Link’s jaw and guided his face to look up. Link took a shuddering breath at the unexpected but gentle touch. He was sure his heart was about to explode as he forced himself to make eye contact with Rhett.

“Are you ready for your medicine now?” Rhett asked. His thumb stroked across Link's cheek, the touch soft and hesitant, like Rhett could barely believe what he was doing. Link knew he couldn’t believe it. He leaned into the touch despite himself, wondering distantly if this was really happening or if he was having a waking fever dream. “Link?”

Link blinked, clearing his vision. Rhett was still stroking his cheek, but his expression showed that he was waiting for some kind of response. “Uh… Yeah, sure,” Link managed to say.

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” Rhett gave Link’s cheek one more stroke, and then his hand was gone. Link’s head suddenly felt heavy on his neck. He took a deep breath and winced when it made him have a small coughing fit.

He swallowed the pills when Rhett gave them to him, and downed half his glass of iced tea to make sure they went down. Rhett insisted that he change into his pajamas before he fell asleep, so he did. His mind kept replaying the look in Rhett’s eyes as he climbed up into the top bunk and settled amongst the pillows. He was never going to forget the way his best friend’s gentle, guitar-calloused thumb had felt against his skin, touching him innocently but in a way that felt so achingly intimate.

He was hovering on the edge of sleep by the time Rhett switched off the light and climbed into the bottom bunk, announcing that he was tired and his homework could wait until tomorrow.

——-

Link woke to total darkness hours later. A glance at the alarm clock across the room on his desk told him that it was just after two in the morning. He was freezing, and a quick exploration of his surroundings revealed that he must have kicked his blanket off of the bed sometime during the night. He still wasn’t used to sleeping way up in the air on the top bunk. The cold medicine Rhett had given him had worn off, and his whole body hurt all over. He winced when he swallowed, his throat raw from breathing with his mouth open thanks to his stuffy nose. He didn’t feel like getting up, but he had to if he wanted to be warm enough to get any more sleep.

He stumbled as he climbed down to the floor, his clammy hands slipping. He hissed as his feet hit the ground too hard, silently cursing himself for being so clumsy. He grabbed his blanket, threw it back up onto his bed and was about to climb back up when a hand grabbed his thigh and made him startle.

“Link?” Rhett’s sleepy voice asked. “What are you doing up?”

“Just getting my blanket,” Link rasped. He pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his racing heart. “Why’d you grab me like that?” Rhett’s hand was still wrapped around his pajama-clad leg, his fingers almost encircling it.

“How are you feeling?” Rhett asked, ignoring Link’s question.

“Well, I don’t know if I’ll be able to go back to sleep now for one,” Link complained. “You scared me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to check on you. I thought you’d sleep like a log tonight.” Rhett’s voice was heavy with sleep. “Is it time for more cold medicine? What woke you up?”

“I’m freezing, and I don’t feel good, and I just want to go back to sleep. Stop interrogating me.” Link knew he was whining, but why did Rhett have to do things like this to him? He’d just wanted to grab his blanket and go back to sleep, and now Rhett’s fingers were practically in his crotch and he probably didn’t even realize it. Gosh, if his body started to react now, he’d really be in trouble.

“You know, I’m nice and warm,” Rhett said. He let go of Link’s leg at last. His shadowy form moved in the darkness, shifting over to make room beside him in the bed. “Hop in and I’ll warm you right up.”

“Rhett. I- I don't-“ Link stammered, before breaking into another coughing fit. His skin tingled where Rhett had held onto him, and he rubbed his hand over the outside of his thigh like he could still feel Rhett’s hand there if he tried.

“Come on, Link.”

“My blanket is good enough for me,” Link insisted. He knew Rhett meant it in a friendship way, but there was no way Link could share a bed with him. His heart wouldn’t be able to handle it if he did something stupid like cuddle Rhett in his sleep, because surely he would find himself alone and friendless in the morning. He knew one thing for sure - Rhett didn’t want him like he wanted Rhett. He couldn’t risk their friendship over his stupid crush.

There was some movement as Rhett crawled out of bed. He flicked the light on, and both men squinted in the sudden brightness.

“What are you doing?” Link hissed.

“I wanted to see you.” Rhett turned to face him, his expression softening. “You really don’t look good, bo. You’re shivering.”

“Told you I’m cold,” Link said. He wrapped his arms around himself, feeling exposed in the bright room, like maybe Rhett could read his thoughts.

“And I told you I was going to take care of you. So let me, please,” Rhett pleaded. He stepped forward and pulled Link into his arms. “Let’s get you some more cold medicine and then you can get back to sleep. Okay?”

Link’s exhausted body folded into the hug. Rhett was blessedly warm and sturdy. “Okay,” Link agreed, at last. If Rhett was so determined to take care of him, he wouldn’t try to stop him anymore. He was too tired and sick to keep fighting it. If he ruined everything between them, so be it. He couldn’t keep going on like this.

He stumbled when Rhett broke the hug, but he didn’t complain as Rhett left his side to get the medicine and some water. He gulped the pills down and let himself be led to Rhett’s bunk. Rhett turned off the light before crawling in beside Link. It was a small bed, but they fit together perfectly on it, their bodies like puzzle pieces as Link settled into Rhett’s arms.

“Thanks for taking care of me,” Link whispered. He was comfortable at last, surrounded by Rhett’s warmth, and he didn’t have to worry about sleep-cuddling Rhett because they were already cuddling. He wanted to enjoy the moment, but his eyelids were growing heavy again already, and his breaths even and deep.

Rhett didn’t reply for a long time. Link was almost asleep when Rhett’s voice brought him back to full wakefulness. “Of course I’m going to take care of you, bo. I love you.” The words were whispered.

Link swore his heart skipped a beat. “You love me?” he whispered back, wondering if he’d heard wrong. Surely Rhett didn’t love him, not like that.

“I thought you were asleep,” Rhett said, but it was more like an accusation.

“Not quite.”

“I- I, uh… I mean- Uh…” Rhett said. He grew tense next to Link as he scrambled for the right words. “Well….”

Listening to Rhett panic confirmed something deep inside of Link. He took a steadying breath and gathered every ounce of courage he could find inside himself. “I love you too. And not like a brother,” he whispered. “Like I’m in love with you. Because I am, and I have been for a long time now.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Link confirmed, his voice wavering. What if he’d just ruined everything?

“I’m in love with you too, Link. Head over heels.” Suddenly, wet lips were on Link’s chin and on his cheek as Rhett frantically sought out his mouth. Link pushed him away.

“Stop.”

“What’s wrong?” Rhett asked.

“I’m sick, remember? You don’t want this cold,” Link said.

“I don’t care. We’re going to share a lot of germs if we’re going to be a couple. We might as well start now.”

Link rolled his eyes at Rhett’s logic, knowing that the gesture would go unseen. Leave it to Rhett to make germs seem romantic. “Come here then,” he said, and pulled Rhett closer so their lips could meet for the first of many, many times.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Like I said, writing has been really hard for me lately so I hope this is okay.


End file.
